The massive beaks shattered one after another, the whirlwinds unraveling until no trace remained.
At a glance, it was clear, they wouldn't regenerate again.
Dordoni, gravely wounded, staggered on the brink of collapse. Yet his gaze never left Shin.
In truth, he had concealed one final bird-head within the chaos, hidden high in the darkness. While Shin fought, it had been circling overhead, waiting to strike at his unguarded back.
Now, as Shin visibly relaxed, the moment for a killing blow had finally come.
But Shin's next move crushed Dordoni's last hope.
Instead of pausing after his victory, Shin fluidly turned, swinging his sword backward in one seamless motion, almost as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
The arc of light slashed through the air and smashed the hidden bird-head to pieces.
That was the end for Dordoni. His brief appearance ended in failure, his strategies shattered. His eyes dulled as his battered body toppled backward, his Resurrección dissolving as his strength faded away.
Shin gently led Nel by the hand and stepped closer.
"Even for a sneak attack, your attempt to hide your reiatsu was pathetic. No wonder you were kicked out of the Espada. Aizen was wiser than I thought." Shin's voice was laced with cold amusement.
Because Dordoni had hurt Nel earlier, Shin showed no mercy, not even in words.
A weak chuckle escaped Dordoni. "So even to a dying man, you can't spare forgiveness…"
Shin tilted his head, lips curling in mockery. "Actually, could you just hurry up and die? I still have things to do."
Minutes later, the former Espada No. 103, Dordoni, reached the end of his life.
Shin placed his hand on the corpse, activating the system.
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host. You have collected the SSR-level [Wind] attribute. Power +5000.]
Hearing the notification, Shin paused in thought.
Wind, so ordinary as an element, yet when unleashed on a grand scale, it became a devastating weapon.
Across the three realms, whether in Resurrección, Kidō, or Zanpakutō, very few techniques harnessed the wind. By rarity alone, it deserved to be SSR-level.
With a faint smile, Shin clenched his hand. A flicker of light danced across his palm before the ability settled within him.
Within the one-hour limit, Shin had successfully gathered fifteen attributes above N-level. The system's voice chimed again:
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host. Random mission completed. Extra reward: You may now use up to five attributes simultaneously.]
The words made Shin's chest tighten with joy.
It solved one of his greatest limitations.
Until now, he could only activate one attribute at a time. For example, when firing a Cero, he couldn't wield the Reishi Sword. But now, that restriction was gone.
While he considered the possibilities, a sudden "ptoo!" sounded beside him.
Turning, Shin saw Nel spitting on her own arm.
"Hm? Nel-chan, what are you doing?" Shin crouched, confused, as he noticed several red scrapes on her arm.
Nel smeared her saliva across the wounds and sniffled theatrically. "Nel's spit has healing power. If you rub it on cuts, they stop hurting soon. And if Nel could bathe in her own spit, she'd recover soooo much faster!"
Shin waved his hands frantically. "Alright, alright, stop, just imagining that is already too much…"
But Nel, unfazed, dabbed a wet finger against his cheek. "Then… that shiny light in your hand when you touched that man, what was that?"
Shin hesitated, then gave a half-truth. "That's my ability. It lets me break him down quickly… so his suffering ends faster."
…
After handing the comforted Nel over to Peśche and Dondochakka, Shin's expression hardened again.
This incident wasn't over.
If someone had orchestrated all this, it meant he was already being watched. The details of his abilities couldn't be allowed to leak.
And if he had to guess the mastermind? Most likely the Octava Espada, Szayelaporro.
Among his many surveillance methods, the most troublesome was the Recording Insect, a parasite that collected every detail of a target's combat data and relayed it back in perfect sound and vision once retrieved.
Of course, the insect had to embed itself in a powerful host, or risk being devoured.
Luck or misfortune, Shin's suspicions were exactly right.
His eyes fell on the Adjuchas that had been commanding the hollow horde. Suddenly, the creature stiffened and bolted into the depths of the Forest of Menos.
Throughout the fight, that Adjuchas had never joined in, only observed. But he had seen too much.
He remembered clearly: the [Ring Cero] and the [Reishi Sword] were techniques belonging to his subordinates. Both had died, and yet those same powers had resurfaced in Shin's hands.
Though Shin wielded them with far greater force, the resemblance was undeniable. Which could only mean one thing: Shin could steal abilities.
The Adjuchas fled wildly, determined to protect the Recording Insect and deliver this priceless intel to Szayelaporro in person, hoping for favor and advancement.
But then, crack! A sharp lance of light pierced straight through his throat.
Pain wracked him, his steps faltering. The beam didn't even flare outward, it simply destroyed his voice, silencing him completely.
If escape was impossible, he thought, then he would turn and fight.
Yet as he whirled around, there was nothing, only the confused Gillians stumbling without a leader.
"Yo. Who're you looking for?"
The mocking voice came from behind.
Shin had caught up in an instant with Sonído, straddling the Adjuchas's neck like a rider.
He extended a finger toward the back of the hollow's skull, voice low and cold. "You already know why you have to die."
Without waiting for an answer, a Cero erupted point-blank, blasting through the back of its mask and shattering it to pieces.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter